RP:Non Sequitur

Part of the What You Leave Behind Arc

Summary: Kreekitaka, still in the field after The Battle for Chartsend, happens upon Nemisis. A strange contest begins, thoroughly far-removed from the war, but they reach something of an understanding as the conversation continues. Nemisis seeks to learn from what happened here, and Kreekitaka suggests they head to Lionel with anything they find.

Chartsend: The Flat Lands

Nemisis can be seen walking down in the distance passing by multiple corpses. That distinct white lab coat flaying in the wind, revealing a midnight armor that seems oddly tough yet flexible. It is quite possible the demi has made some unknown alterations to it. As he approaches closer, a strange feeling of pressure can be felt in the air, almost causing a bit of dizziness and unease. Though he notices people in the clearing ahead of him, those ruby red eyes of his are busy surveying the area as he scratches his head. Inside, the personas are having a conversation. Intelligence says to the rest, "See I told you something was happening. That was a roar of a dinosaur, not a dragon; and it was much too frequent for it to be in a natural habitat." Honor, floating about in the consciousness looks over with little to no interest, "You want a cookie? Now you've gone and found some people, how troublesome...." Brawl cracks his knuckles looking onward saying, "It's been awhile since we've been in Hollow. I wonder if people have gotten stronger." Mischief chuckles every so slightly with a quip, "And I thought I was I was the mischievous one." This caused Brawl to make a silent face before Intelligence quickly says, "Well...let's find out. This should be interesting. So much information to discover. And of course, Lionel would be in the midst of it all. Quite a busy one this is." By this time, the draconian has made it to the clearing where everyone else is. His chaotic pressure a bit more dense due to his close proximity. Staring at everyone for a bit, observing without blinking, and scratching the side of his head ever so often, he finally opens his mouth and speaks with a tilted smile, "Greetings."

Kreekitaka didn't want to dismount, but his beast was not bred for long-term combat and it needed to go rest. He pushed the rope ladder off of one side and climbed down, using only his arms. When his four legs touched the earth, he made a dismissive gesture with his claws and flicked one of his tails at the dinosaur, and it turned and started marching back to camp. Looking around, he caught sight of a newcomer--and someone whose very presence had him on-edge. A lot of things were doing that, recently, things which shouldn't normally do that, and so he dismissed the feeling as more stress and instead chose to focus on the being's apparel. The crab marched forward towards him, facial crushers clenching respectfully and paddles rattling down his sides to get his attention. "Ah! AnoHHHTHer aochemisTAH!, I presume? Yike Muzo, I mean? Perhaps you know each oHHHTHer?" Sure, Kree, don't even bother introducing yourself before making assumptions about people.

Nemisis literally does not move nor blink as Kreekitaka moves towards him. If it had been any other persona in control, the man would have freaked out for its one thing to see a crab when its tiny, but another when its mutated, talking, and big. Inside his head, both Brawl and Mischief cringe and scream, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Even honor was slightly staring from the side of his eye. It was clear the stranger had too many moving parts for most of the persona's liking. Innocence however, was curious, jumping off of Madness' head and floating over to Intelligence, ooing and aweing. Intelligence, having observed the being as much as possible, from that angle, finally blinked and spoke to the creature, completely ignoring the fact that he was riding a dinosaur, or that he spoke words to him in an almost barbaric formation. He was, of course, just mostly curious. Taking a few steps towards Kreekitaka (the stress of his pressure increasing), he goes to touch him, hand falling from his head, only to freeze and rest in pocket. Somewhere he learned a tad bit of manners, not much, clearly as he says, "What are you?"

Kreekitaka froze for a moment, facial crushers twitching in annoyance, before flattening his paddles down against his sides and making a sound like someone who thought he was over having to answer this question. "I am uyeer," he said, but didn't stop there, "an' I am HHHTHe MasTAH!er of Fashion, HHHTHe King of Yove an' BeauTAH!ee from Fros'maw, HHHTHe Champion of War of HHHTHe Warrior's TAH!ournamenTAH!, Conqueror of YegenDAH!ary Creatures, eTAH! ceTAH!era. I am, in oHHHTHer worDAH!s, KreekiTAH!ka. Perhaps you may have hearDAH! my name." It was true, the crab's network of shops and businesses had made him something of a celebrity, but mostly in the high-fashion world. His combat exploits had him known in other fields, but that was less of a household name. He extended a claw in greeting. "An' yourseff? You seem TAH!oo me TAH!oo be someone of imporTAH!ance, in one way or anoHHHTHer." Maybe it was his presence, maybe it was his official-looking outfit.

Nemisis finally pulls his hand out of his pocket to grab hold of the Uyeer's claw. As he grabs hold, the man applies a slight pressure, in attempting to pass it off as a firm handshake. It was quite clear he was abnormally strong for even a draconian however. The chaosborn, smiles very kindly saying, "We are called Nemisis. Nice to meet you....KreekiTAH!ka." The quirk of Intelligence's acute attention to detail made this greeting even more awkward as the man imitated the sound back, perfectly as if it were a normalcy. However, the crab did one thing wrong, he mentioned fashion. Deep within the consciousness, Spree had come forth. Being the divo himself, he walks up to Intelligence and taps him on the shoulder, "Fashion!? Mind if....for just a second...?" Due to the fact that he knows exactly how annoying this persona can get, and that they shared interests, he half heartedly obliged. Instantly, Nemisis energy and facial expression changed. The air seemed to get ticklish with a vibrato. The kind expression switched to one of a uptight snob, and the grip instantly softened and was released. Arms folded, the draconian begins to walk around the crab saying, "Hmph! Fashion you say!?" A limp wrist is send to the air and hung, as he observed the outfit, mumbling to himself. Finally he makes its all the way around before halting abruptly, like a commander. Judgingly, the man had to audacity to stare the creature in its eyes and ask with a straight face, "In what realm, are you considered, 'high' fashion?"

(cue startled gasps from the studio audience)

Kreekitaka tilted his head, a bit confused as to his use of the word "we". His pressure was matched--it was clear that both these beings had a very striong grip. The change in personality had him a bit confused, but that was all brushed aside when the man spoke again. He flared both paddles and facial crushers, now wholly offended, and rose up to his full height of eight feet. "Now see here," he began. "You expecTAH! me TAH!oo be in my mosTAH! regoh garmenTAH!s in HHHTHe cenTAH!er of a war zone?! In whaTAH! universe can you say your simpoh overcoaTAH! is anyHHHTHing TAH!oo speak of? No coyor, no DAH!esign! Shapeyess, boring." He crossed his arms--he got passionate about his designs. "Io have you know my DAH!esigns have been worn aTAH! -every- high socieTAH!ee meeTAH!ing in HHHTHe pasTAH! TAH!oo years. My garmenTAH!s are worn by queens an' schoyars! An' if you were TAH!oo meeTAH! me on any DAH!ay where I wasn'TAH! forceDAH! TAH!oo wear combaTAH! cyoHHHTHing, you woulDAH! -beg- me TAH!oo crafTAH! you someHHHTHing." Osnap. A bit touchy on that subject.

Nemisis double blinked and scoffed back at the crustacean, even as he stood up fully to an overshadowing eight feet tall. His head froze, body rested back on a hip, and did one mechanical snap of looking at the beast from head to toe before saying, "Puuuhllllease! First of all, you can always look ya best, even if in battle. Secondly, don't be mad that your eyes cant see a combination of minimalism and shiek design all at once! Yes, we are forced to currently wear this tattered old lab coat, because SOMEBODY refuses to comply.." A small pause is given to throw shade at Intelligence, both inside and outside of the draconian's body unbeknownst to Kreekitaka, "but DONT think we are not out here slaying these foes left and right both literally and metaphorically!" In that instant, the man tosses his hand in the air and does a graceful twirl. Even in the height of his ego, one can tell his movements are still guarded and woven with technique. As he spun, his power suddenly increased and his midnight armor began to glow. Rivers of red light twisted and twirled about his body in intricate designs, before he came to a full stop. Pose, causing a slight tremor for effect. In the midst of his ego, Spree stared at the creature, gloating with retort. He had revealed a bit more information than the others would had liked, but it was all to prove his fashionable point.

Kreekitaka rippled his paddles. The light show was a nice touch, but he realized with a sudden clarity that his quick retort had pushed the man's--inner teenager, or something?--onto defense, and decided to press his verbal advantage. He gestured around dramatically. Trolls on one side, orcs on the other, black armor everywhere, all dead. The bottom pairs of his paddles started clicking together in a rhythmic pattern, a back leg tapping the ground to the beat. "So your armor yighTAH!s up, an' you have some grace, buTAH! yook ao arounDAH! you, I owneDAH! HHHTHis pyace! Every roar, every crack of gyorious HHHTHunDAH!er was me ripping an enTAH!ire army asunDAH!er, whaTAH! have you DAH!one HHHTHis morning TAH!oo remember you by? Can you seriousyee cyaim you've causeDAH! hundreDAH!s TAH!oo DAH!ie? I'm a yegenDAH!, you know noHHHTHing of my works so DAH!ivine, so sTAH!ep asiDAH! an' yeTAH! HHHTHis masTAH!er show you whaTAH! comes from my minDAH!." ...Kree did you seriously just rap battle a guy because he thought he was better at fashion than you wth mate

Nemisis energy switched yet again. The vibrating chaotic energy turned back into its rigid twists of confusion. Intelligence had grabbed control from Spree looking at him saying ever so tactfully, "You said a second" The divo flicked his hair to the side and responded to his fellow persona, "You got a point." Taking a step back, Spree didn't go far, instead he watched with his arms crossed and his face stuck up, prompting a tiresome sigh from Honor and a chuckle from Joy. Brawl and Mischief were finally getting over themselves and quietly observing at this point. They took note that the crab-like thing had some sort of sophistication. In some way shape or form, respect was gained. Back on the outside, the draconian's body loosened up, and man cleared his throat, the harmless smile returning, "Our sincerest apologies for that blunder." Oddly enough, though the demi physically looked as if he powered him, his power level felt as if it had increased dramatically. Just as his composure was regained, his eyes focused upon the random poisonous needles of the floor. Kneeling down, he reached out and picked one up with his hand, or so it seems. There was a very tiny red secretion on the places of contact that refracted in the light as he moved to place the needle in a tube for samples, "To answer your question, this destruction is actually light work for us....especially if we give it our best. But we will not downplay your efforts here." Nemisis begins to scratch the side of his head again as he looks at Kreekitaka and asks, "By the way, did you produce these seemingly poisonous spines?"

Kreekitaka shifted his weight, letting the music fade, tilting his head again. How peculiar. Perhaps this was one of those cases where a person has multiple entities inside their head? Like Amarrah, or whatever. Interesting. He decided to dismiss the comment that this was light work, and instead focused on the spine question. "ProDAH!uce HHHTHem? As in manufacture? My company creaTAH!eDAH! HHHTHose weapons, yes, however HHHTHey come from a fish." He shrugged. "We skin HHHTHem an' extracTAH! HHHTHe spines." He perked up a little. "My company can crafTAH! armor from HHHTHose skins, aoso, an' make iTAH! so HHHTHe spines expanDAH! when you wish, giving you more options in combaTAH!." Since he seemed interested, it only seemed fair that he give the whole pitch. "Such armor, if broken, is guaranTAH!eeDAH! noTAH! TAH!oo injure you furHHHTHer. ITAH! is harDAH!er HHHTHan mosTAH! yeaHHHTHer, yeTAH! reTAH!ains HHHTHe shock-absorbing quayiTAH!ies of quayiTAH!ee paDAH!ing."

Nemisis stared at the crustacean spoke about the spines. Intelligence was hoping it actually came from the being itself and not some fish. None the less, he learned that Hollow has evolved yet again. Without blinking, he said simply in response, "Interesting. We shall take some samples." This was in fact a statement rather than a question, further proven with a wave of a hand that produced a crimson light that traveled across the ground, zooming quickly past the crab. Instantly some of the biggest trolls and orcs, covered with the most spines, crystalized into red gems and rose into the air. Amongst the various possibilities in played out in Intelligence consciousness, Kreekitaka could become alarmed an attack him. As a result, he watched him carefully as the gems spun and dissolved into nothing but crimson glitter than vanished into the air. They would be transported to the demi's laboratory for only gods know what. Still quite curious, he then asks his next question, "Do you molt? Or how you say, get rid of your exoskeleton and produce a stronger and shinier one? We assume you do possess one from our previous test before, however there is a .0087 percent chance we are wrong, so we shan't speak as if our words are true." Of course this would be spoken in a nonchalant tone. The persona was locked on.

Kreekitaka refused to show surprise even as he collected several of the bodies for study, despite the extent of that power. It's quite possible he'd find more off about them than just the needles--the soldiers had come from some kind of parallel world, a shadow realm, and so it's likely that their composition would be bizarre. "Whioh you're examining HHHTHem, if you happen TAH!oo finDAH! anyHHHTHing parTAH!icuyaryee inTAH!eresTAH!ing, I am cerTAH!ain Yionoh is going TAH!oo wish TAH!oo hear iTAH!. I, aoso. If iTAH! is noTAH! TAH!oo much trouboh, pyease senDAH! worDAH! of your finDAH!ings?" In contrast to his previous attitude, Kree decided to adopt a somewhat more humble stance for this particular request, deferring to the man's obvious experience with this sort of thing. "Of course I DAH!oo," he said, in answer to the question about molting. "How ess am I supposeDAH! TAH!oo grow?" The downside to working with someone technically-minded who hadn't seen him before: answering questions like these.

Nemisis scratched his head a bit longer than usual at Kreekitaka's request to let Lionel know of his findings. The demi didn't particularly like the man. Too much of goody too shoes in his opinion, though he has rarely interacted with the man personally. The draconian did have knack for just watching things take place after all. He rarely intervened even when Hollow's very core was at stake. If it didn't involve someone he cared about, which in fact, were very few, he didn't react. So in terms of this request, he continued to scratch and scratch, inside his head, Intelligence turning that giant bolt protruding through his head, adjusting his glasses ever so often. There were so many formulas and possibilities that could occur depending on how deep of an interaction he might have with Lionel. It was only when Honor halted his thought process when he said, "Lie...." Did he finally respond to Kree almost mechanically, "No problem. In exchange, we wouldn't mind a piece of your carapace the next time you molt." It was obvious the demi wanted a sample. He would stay true to his word...to Kreekitaka, that is. Information that would be of equal value, only. Just then, he figured he could save some time by asking, "So, what exactly happened here and why?"

Kreekitaka snorted and gestured for the draconian to follow him as he walked. "I can speak of whaTAH! happeneDAH! here, yes. You won'TAH! have TAH!oo waiTAH! so yong for your sampo." He paused a moment, crossing his arms and collecting his thoughts. "RecenTAH!yee, a new HHHTHreaTAH! has emergeDAH!. A being who is nameDAH! 'Kahran', who commanDAH!s a massive force from some DAH!ark pyace, who has no issues wiHHHTH aTAH!acking ciTAH!ies of civiyians." His voice shook with rage towards the end of that--it seemed that despite his warlike ways and capacity for destruction, he held very strict opinions on where violence was acceptable and against whom. "We receiveDAH! noTAH!ice he was going TAH!oo senDAH! his forces here. We founDAH! his forces, an' foughTAH! HHHTHem, an' won." He gestured to the remains of one of his kinsmen--another uyeer, broken, carapace shattered in several places by what looked like blunt force. "NoTAH! wiHHHTHouTAH! yoss. You wanTAH! a specimen for sTAH!uDAH!ee? Go aheaDAH!. His remains won'TAH! make iTAH! home anyhow."

Nemisis shoved hands in pockets and began to follow Kree through the warzone as he spoke. He listened very intently on his words even repeating, "Kahran" once it was said to take special note. As his eyes tossed back and forth from the corpses to his guide, he noticed the change in tone. The draconian slightly chuckled at the thought that if the crab only knew what realm he resided over, he'd probably get even more upset. Considering the world of chaos, destruction is the natural order as much as creation is. Things just happen. You live and survive to become stronger or you die because you were weak or unlucky. Such was life. However, telling him so did not provide any benefit what so ever, so he just listened. What Intelligence did however focus on was the possibility of an all shadow realm. His realm of chaos did exist, why not the two halves in their raw form? In the midst of thought he said, "Interesting." Suddenly, the composition of the crustacean took a back burner to a revelation of a possible new realm. Still, he was not going to pass up a viable sample nonetheless. His influence over the area had already spread pretty far, possibly unbeknownst to the stranger. With a mere glance, a few of the uyeer corpses sunk into a crimson pond that seemed to sprout of nowhere. The scientist made sure to take one of every color he saw. Focusing on Kree once more he spoke, "We are intrigued. You will most definitely be hearing from us about these findings. Tell us.....exactly how much do you know about the various cities in Hollow?"

Kreekitaka twitched his facial crushers again, this time a little be more strongly. "I TAH!ake iTAH! you were noTAH! yissening when I saiDAH! I make cyoHHHTHes for kings an' queens?" He snapped open a claw and extended five tentacles from the middle part, then used his other claw to count on them. "I have or once haDAH! shops in half HHHTHe major ciTAH!ies. I have been engageDAH! in poyiTAH!icoh maneuvering beTAH!ween powers aTAH! war. My yogo is soughTAH! afTAH!er TAH!oo HHHTHe poinTAH! HHHTHaTAH! some -fake- iTAH! for use on inferior proDAH!ucTAH!s so as TAH!oo make HHHTHem seem TAH!oo be higher quayiTAH!ee. I have uncovereDAH! HHHTHe economic strings which keep -nations- afyoaTAH! an' I boughTAH! HHHTHem!" He paused there, for a moment, and let himself relax. "I know a gooDAH! DAH!eoh of HHHTHings," he finished, perhaps not as gracefully as he imagined he did.

Nemisis face didn't budge much at Kree's boastful remarks about his fashion line. Of course Spree almost lurched forward to say something but contained, "You know what...not today" the persona would instead say. Still, after all that the creature had said, for some reason, the draconian was not quite convinced it knew much of the chaotic city. To be honest, most wouldnt dare travel there or even wanted to. But he did consider that his hypothesis could be in fact wrong. The factors were high in that. However, even one as systematic as Intelligence, cannot escape the senses of nature. Scratching his head once more, the draconian opened his mouth to say, "Based on the information you have given us, we have some hypothesis of our own. However, we will collate our information and deliver it all properly once our findings are complete and the specimens have been tested. This has been a very interesting discovery for us. Is there anything else we should know before we make our departure?"

Kreekitaka thought about that. "I cannoTAH! HHHTHink of anyHHHTHing," he started, shaking his head, when suddenly, he thought about something. "WaiTAH!. Yes, I can. Be HHHTHinking abouTAH! a monumenTAH!oh achievemenTAH!, which has never been DAH!one before. I have someHHHTHing I wish TAH!oo pursue, however I beyeev iTAH! may require someone of knowyedge, such as yourseff, TAH!oo assisTAH! me. If you finDAH! yourseff up for a TAH!ask HHHTHe yikes of which has never been DAH!one before, say so when you DAH!eyiver your finDAH!ings. Io expyain in more DAH!eTAH!aioh HHHTHen." Multiple personalities or not, if this one was as smart as he seemed, he could become a tremendous asset.

Nemisis eyes widen before Honor interrupted Intelligence thought again, "It is time to go..." Without much of a fuss, the personas responded to the crab, "No problem. One step at a time. We look forward to hearing about this idea of yours." Intelligence did at least. With much to do, the draconian raised a hand to wave goodbye. Without much else, he turned around and began to walk away, almost dissolving as if he was mist himself. The last thing was said were the words, "Til next time."